Henry Roth (Billy Crudup) writes books for children all the while suffering from the ramifications of a childhood with a missing father and an abusive, probably violent, mother. He has a bit of an OCD problem as well.
His mentor, best friend, and parent replacement, is Rudy Holt (Tom Wilkinson), who illustrates Henry's books. When Rudy dies, Henry is devastated. He keeps imagining seeing Rudy, thus continuing to let 'Rudy' tell him how to handle Life. Something Henry is not very good at at his own.
He is teamed up by his publisher Planck (Bob Balaban) with a new illustrator, Lucy (Mandy Moore). In the beginning, he treats her like he would anybody else, which means mean, but it becomes very clear that she is a nice person and quickly he begins to like her. But he doesn't know how to break the habit of being strange and sarcastic. (Anybody who's been shy and hurt knows that being rude or weird is a perfect way to stay safe; to keep people away from the core).
Here is what he tells her in one long hilarious monologue which conveyed by the brilliant Billy Crudup comes out exasperated, hesitantly and too fast all at the same time and with a voice that is nearly broken , due to the fact that he has realized that he's told her far too much:
"I hate my mother I hate my goddamn dead father more, Rudy was the only friend I ever had, I had a girlfriend once who I used to like to masturbate to more than have sex with, carrots and snakes frighten me um I'm superstitious about the numbers (3. 5. 7) I can only stir things counter-clockwise and I know that if I don't something bad will happen, I take a size 11 and a half shoe I don't have a favorite book, I don't drive or ride in cars, statistically speaking you have a 100% chance of being in an accident in your lifetime, they're death boxes, I give to Amnesty International on the off chance that I'm ever imprisoned and tortured for my political beliefs, paradoxically I have no political beliefs, um Life is pain, black kids are cuter than white ones, I didn't mean it when I compared you to our waitress I was only trying to hurt you, I could've been meaner about your looks and what I would have said would've made you cry, I have a towel I can't throw out because it may have feelings, when I ejaculate I go into deep depressions, though by any standard you're a nice person I deeply resent having to work with you, I love Japanese monster movies, Gamera specifically.."
Ultimately, it's a love story told in a funny, quirky way and with great performances by Billy Crudup, Tom Wilkinson, not to mention Bob Balaban. Mandy Moore does a good job as well.
Oh, and Life at its best is a love story, isn't it?
His mentor, best friend, and parent replacement, is Rudy Holt (Tom Wilkinson), who illustrates Henry's books. When Rudy dies, Henry is devastated. He keeps imagining seeing Rudy, thus continuing to let 'Rudy' tell him how to handle Life. Something Henry is not very good at at his own.
He is teamed up by his publisher Planck (Bob Balaban) with a new illustrator, Lucy (Mandy Moore). In the beginning, he treats her like he would anybody else, which means mean, but it becomes very clear that she is a nice person and quickly he begins to like her. But he doesn't know how to break the habit of being strange and sarcastic. (Anybody who's been shy and hurt knows that being rude or weird is a perfect way to stay safe; to keep people away from the core).
Here is what he tells her in one long hilarious monologue which conveyed by the brilliant Billy Crudup comes out exasperated, hesitantly and too fast all at the same time and with a voice that is nearly broken , due to the fact that he has realized that he's told her far too much:
"I hate my mother I hate my goddamn dead father more, Rudy was the only friend I ever had, I had a girlfriend once who I used to like to masturbate to more than have sex with, carrots and snakes frighten me um I'm superstitious about the numbers (3. 5. 7) I can only stir things counter-clockwise and I know that if I don't something bad will happen, I take a size 11 and a half shoe I don't have a favorite book, I don't drive or ride in cars, statistically speaking you have a 100% chance of being in an accident in your lifetime, they're death boxes, I give to Amnesty International on the off chance that I'm ever imprisoned and tortured for my political beliefs, paradoxically I have no political beliefs, um Life is pain, black kids are cuter than white ones, I didn't mean it when I compared you to our waitress I was only trying to hurt you, I could've been meaner about your looks and what I would have said would've made you cry, I have a towel I can't throw out because it may have feelings, when I ejaculate I go into deep depressions, though by any standard you're a nice person I deeply resent having to work with you, I love Japanese monster movies, Gamera specifically.."
Ultimately, it's a love story told in a funny, quirky way and with great performances by Billy Crudup, Tom Wilkinson, not to mention Bob Balaban. Mandy Moore does a good job as well.
Oh, and Life at its best is a love story, isn't it?